Pages

Thursday, October 31, 2013

I am a firm believer that no matter what your skin tone, hair color or eye color is, EVERYONE can pull off all shades of makeup. If done correctly, you can wear absolutely anything!With that said, certain eye shadow will make your eyes really pop and appear brighter. When in doubt, you can always use Almay Intense i-Color!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

It can be hard to find unique jewelry out there anymore, simply because of the crazy-high number of lines there are to choose from. I fell instantly head over heels for Milk the Goat's jewelry, in no small part because of how different it is. It's bohemian, but it's edgy. It's vibrant, but it's sophisticated. It's a line of love-forever statement pieces - pieces that demand attention and reinvent your outfit, but aren't so crazy you can't wear them every single day.Milk the Goat's design is headed up by Nicole Kunz, and features a team of amazingly talented artistic types from all over the world. They describe their aesthetic as "California Pinup Hippie" - which is a perfect classification, and one I'm obsessed with. It is just that - effortless and glamorous. You can see the free spirit of California and the eclectic cool of global traveler in every piece.Some favorite pieces are below (price range is like $79 to $270ish) - go forth and shop! And as Milk the Goat also creates clothes, swimwear, shoes, bags, and more, keep an eye out here for more info on those, too!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

I have been collecting random keys for the last few
months. I knew I would want to do some kind of project with them but was
racking my brain trying to think of something. Finally, I came up with an
idea. What are your thoughts?

Supplies:

Keys

Paint

Gems

Shadow box or wood plaque (with raised edges)

String or ribbon

Flat pushpins

I started by spray painting all of the keys white.

I couldn't find a shadow box at the craft store so I
settled on a wood plaque with raised edges. Unless you're going for a more
natural look, you can paint the plaque, like I did.

Once the keys were dry, I started gluing gems on them. I
think it looks best to use different gems, so each key is a bit different. I also painted one with glitter nail polish.

After choosing some fun string, I looped it through each
key. I made each piece of string a different size so the keys would hang at
different lengths.

Finally, I used the pushpins to secure each piece of
ribbon. Using a shadow box, or a plaque with raised edges (like I did) will
ensure the pushpins are hidden and the keys are 'floating', instead or being flush against the board. If you can only
find a flat piece of wood then you can secure secure the ribbon to the back of
the wood to hide them and forfeit the floating effect.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Hortense Jewelry is one of those lines that can be your
secret to mastering that elusive French girl cool. There are two ways you can
go with accessorizing to make a statement that is all you yet neatly on trend:
maximalist or minimalist. It’s easy to stack and pile, but it’s an art to dot a
low-key look with something so delicate that it just exudes style and
confidence. Kind of like how speaking quietly can garner more attention than
shouting. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a big fan of the stack. But I’m falling
more and more in love with delicacy and minimalism – think those thin, single
band rings. Something about this simplicity is just so perfect, and a brand
like Hortense Jewelry makes is so effortless. Invest in any of these expertly
crafted pieces and you have an instant finish to any outfit. A barely-there
rose gold chain dotted with a geometric-set diamond? The perfect partner to a
soft tee. Who is behind this collection of love-forever, look-reinventing
pieces? We just had to get to know the designer, Hortense.

SOF: How did you become a jewelry designer?

H: About ten years ago, I was working as an editor in magazines when I decided I didn't want to do that anymore, so I went back to schoolin Paris. I moved to San Francisco and went to the Academy of Arts. I became a metal smith and designer for two famous jewelry designers in San Francisco, and then started my own line five years ago.

I always loved jewelry, since I was five or six years old. I would go with my dad to all the jewelry stores in Paris - Van Cleef Arpels, Cartier, these were all big inspirations for me. Jewelry has been a lifelong passion.

SOF: Where do you find inspiration?H: It's something I like to wear, and then I go from there. It's not themes, like it's not nature that I'm finding inspiration, specifically - I think of what I want to wear, what I like to wear, and create that. Recently, I've been using a lot of geometric shapes.SOF: What are your favorite materials to work with?H: Rose gold. I always start with samples in rose gold. People can choose yellow gold, etc., they can choose others, but I start with rose gold.

SOF: How would you describe your personal style?H: I wear just one or two pieces of jewelry at a time. Small, very dainty - a small statement. My style is minimalist - jeans or leather pants with simple shoes, a tee and a little necklace.SOF: What lies in store for Hortense Jewelry in the future?H: I want to explore shoes, I'd like to design espadrilles. I also want to create little pouches for traveling with jewelry, since there's nothing that makes it easy to travel with delicate jewelry. And leather purses, because I can't find the perfect one. I'd also like to create little ceramics for storing jewelry, for keeping it at home. For the jewelry, I'd like to expand to doing two or three new collections a year.SOF: What is your favorite store, and what's the last thing you bought? H: I bought pants at Mohawk General Store in LA, one of my favorites. I love to shop at Steven Alan and Joie, too, where you can also find Hortense Jewelry pieces.Handbags and Hugs,Astor

Friday, October 25, 2013

Today I'm wearing Flower Incognito Foundation Stick. This gem is only $8.98 at Walmart, how can you beat that price? This translucent stick goes on smoothly and provides perfect coverage, without feeling or looking heavy. With eight different shades, you are sure to find your skin's ideal match. And that's not even the best part - it's hydrating and stimulates collagen! Perfectly Glossed Kisses,Sutton

This was my apple-picking-perfect outfit last weekend. I had
to pick this to show today, even though it might be old news by now, because I’m
pretty stoked about this Charles Baudelaire sweatshirt from Ostwald Helgason.
If we’re going to be brutally honest here, I really wanted the Edgar Allen Poe
one, but I had a discount to use somewhere that only had good ol’ Baudelaire
here. And you know me, I’m a smart shopper and hey, I have no problems with
Baudelaire. He’s a cool guy. I’m happy to wear him. Especially over the
tribal-patterned flannel shirt I basically wear everyday in the fall (you may
remember it from last year – well get OVER it and get used to it). I’m also
excited to wear Charlie with a gold brocade skirt I have, which will look lots
like the runway styling of this pullover with gold brocade shorts – score.

Follow much?

Our Story

We are Sutton and Astor Van Brigsby. We were born and raised on Park Avenue, a mere hop, skip and 30-second ride with our driver, Morton, from Fifth Avenue. Oh, yes, there was a time when our daily shopping trips were what chick-flick montages were made of – sales assistants scurried at our beck and call, we did lots of twirling in front of fitting room mirrors without spilling our glasses of champagne, and doormen helped Morton help us into the car with stacks of hatboxes – which had shopping bags of clothing and shoes inside of them, because we’re not really into hats. But our designer RTW-filled reality came crashing to a traumatizing end when our father went ballistic one day – WHY we do not know – and cut up our credit cards. Apparently, it bothered him that we had spent his secretary’s annual salary in one trip to Bergdorf. He completely cut us off, I mean stone cold. With the exception of health insurance, cell phone bills, cable and electricity, we are COMPLETELY on our own. Left to our own devices to stay as well dressed as before but on a salary that doesn’t even compare to our past allowance. So, I, Astor, took a job in fashion and Sutton took a job in beauty. It is all we know and love, after all, and we figured that way we would have our bases covered with discounts – what else is a girl to do? If you’re like us, trying to keep a closet stocked with the kind of stuff Bill Cunningham will notice you in on a less-than-desirable salary, join us, won’t you? We’ll support each other, we’ll have cry fests over things we can’t have – and we’ll come up with ways to make the number of those things less and less by hunting sample sales, scouring the internet for discounts and even DIYing up our own versions. We WILL get through this together.